//------------------------------// // A Nice Back Scratch // Story: Never Ending Fears // by Faith Everlasting //------------------------------// Almost a whole day had passed by since the timber wolf incident and Spike was still trying to help Applejack with things that needed to be done. Applejack tried to send him away, claiming that she didn't need his help, but he kept referring to his "Dragon Code" and refused to leave until his life debt had been paid. Now, Applejack could handle the huge mess in the kitchen, the revolting pie, and the leak he caused in Rarity's kitchen, but after the rock tower... she knew that something had to be done! As she set Spike on a mission to count all of the blades of grass on Sweet Apple Acres, she gathered her friends together and came up with a plan (which I bet most of you know about already, so I'll spare you the details). The plan was in motion. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were ready with the sound effects, Twilight was ready with the fake timber wolf puppet, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie were ready to come out of the woods screaming like damsels in distress. Rarity tried to show Applejack how to act properly when faced with a terrifying incident, but Spike had finished counting the blades of grass and was walking over to Applejack. "No time! Here he comes!" Applejack said. The five ponies quickly withdrew and went into position. "Uh, over here, Spike!" Applejack shouted, waving for the dragon to come over. "You said you had something else you needed me to do?" The dragon asked enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, I was just hopin' you could maybe, uh, sweep up all those leaves for a compost pile and-" "But of course!" The dragon replied, taking the rake out of Applejack's hoof. "Oh, by the way, there are exactly 24,567,837 blades of grass at Sweet Apple Acres." The farm pony gaped when she heard that Spike had actually done that ridiculous task. "I can't believe you counted every single one of 'em." She then winked over at Rainbow Dash, signaling her to begin. Rainbow Dash nodded and then gave her best timber wolf impersonation... and it was good! Spike froze when he heard the 'timber wolf' roar. "That was very convincing." Fluttershy whimpered when Rainbow Dash had finished. "TIMBER WOLVES!" Rarity shouted, right on cue. She and Pinkie Pie dashed out of the forest and straight to Spike. "We are DO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOMED!" Rarity collapsed at Spike's feet and began a fake sob. Then Pinkie Pie screamed... a bit too excitedly. Then the two girls got up and walked past Spike. Something's not right here... Spike pondered. Twilight then levitated the fake puppet timber wolf and made it come out of the growth. Spike trembled in terror when it began to come closer. Fluttershy made it sound like the wolf was getting closer by galloping in place and slowly increasing the noise. Wait a minute... Spike thought to himself, still afraid, but now very doubtful. "Oh, no! I seem to have got my hoof caught in between two rocks." Applejack attempted to act. She bluntly stuck her hoof between two small stones and continued 'acting'. "I cannot run away." She pranced in place and tried to widen her eyes in fear, but only succeeded in making it look like she was dizzy. "I am... a damsel in distress! Help me, Spike!" Then she placed her head inside the fake timber wolf's mouth. OK! Now I KNOW that something isn't right! Spike confirmed. "Wait a minute..." He said out loud. Applejack pulled her head out from the timber wolf's jaws and stared quizzically at Spike. The five other ponies did the same. "No, no! Don't wait a minute! Save me from the terrifyin' timber wolf!" Applejack began to panic when Spike started to approach her quite casually. "Well, he would terrifying if he wasn't... a FAKE!" Applejack looked at the puppet timber wolf and gritted her teeth in dismay when Spike started to explain everything that was impressive about the display. First he complimented the claws, then the roar (which made Rainbow Dash quite happy), and finally the detail on his face. He then climbed up onto the rocks that were supposedly trapping Applejack's hoof. "But you forgot one thing," Spike started to explain. "His breath. You can smell a real timber wolf's breath from a mile-" He paused to sniff the air which had recently become quite foul. Applejack froze in terror when she realized it as well and she began to tremble where she stood. "Heh, heh, too late! I'm already on-" Spike began, but was then cut short by Twilight teleporting between both of them and screaming like a banshee. "TIMBER WOLVES!" Rainbow Dash shrieked. Applejack glanced towards the forest and saw the three sets of green eyes staring right at her! Her jaw dropped, but no sounds came out of her mouth. Unfortunately, the timber wolves put the right words in: they roared! "TIMBER WOLVES!" Spike shouted, starting to run. Applejack pursued him. She then saw the rock tower that Spike had previously built and climbed on top of it. The timber wolves forgot their pursuit of Applejack and started chasing Spike. Oh, no you don't! Applejack thought. She grabbed the boulder on top of the pile and pushed with all of her might, sending it tumbling down and crushing the timber wolves to pieces. Spike glanced up at her and gave her a thumbs up which she accepted with a smile and a polite salute, but then the rock underneath her slipped and she tumbled down as well, causing other rocks to fall and pin her back hoof to the ground. "OW!" She exclaimed as the rock pinned her hoof. Then the sticks became animate, glowing green with a strange magical power! Applejack gulped in horror when she saw that they were all coming together... to make a HUMONGOUS timber wolf! "Applejack, come on!" Spike called out to her. She tried to wrench herself free, but failed. "I can't! I'm really stuck!" "No more messin' around! Let's go!" "Come on!" Applejack strained, but then she looked up to see the giant timber wolf leaning over her! She gaped at the spectacle and squeezed her eyes tightly shut when it roared fiercely at her. "Forget me, Spike! You gotta get outta here!" Spike remained where he was. "I said get outta here!" Applejack then picked up a rock with her spare hoof and chucked it over at Spike, knocking him onto the ground. "GO! RUN!" Spike shook his head to clear it and watched as the timber wolf got closer to Applejack, but before he could do anything, Twilight ran up to him and lifted him onto her back. "No! Stop! We've gotta go back! APPLEJACK NEEDS US!" He protested. Applejack sighed in relief when she saw Twilight carrying Spike to safety. Y'all take care of him. He's a good dragon. Applejack prayed. The timber wolf soon snapped her out of her trance and brought her back to reality. She pulled with all of her strength to free her hoof, and eventually wrenched herself free. But the timber wolf had already noticed that even more snacks were heading the other direction and it started to pursue Twilight and everypony else. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Applejack yelled. She picked up another rock and threw it at the back of the timber wolf's head. It growled in displeasure and stared at her. "YA WANT AN EASY MEAL? COME AN' GET ME!" She then ran off into the Everfree forest, praying that the wolf would follow her in. And it did. She ran and ran through that forsaken wood land, flashbacks coming at her like wild fire. She could hear her parents screaming, she could see their blood-stained bodies, she could smell the rankness of the air, but most importantly she could hear her mother's dying words. "Don't be afraid." "I'm NOT, mama!" Applejack declared, running deeper into the woods. "For my friends!" She yelled. "For my family!" The timber wolf leaped towards her, its shadow quickly consuming her own. Then she felt a small twang hit her chest and she made one final declaration. "FOR SPIKE!" Then the world went black.